Proposed law would put more sex offender information online

At last count, there were 3,217 registered sex offenders in
Riverside County, 26 of whom are classified as "high-risk" --
meaning they have previously committed at least one violent sex
offense and may offend again.

If state legislation, which has already cleared the Assembly, is
signed into law by the governor, anyone with Internet access would
be able to see the names and home addresses of all 83,000 high-risk
and serious sex offenders in the state.

The bill would change Megan's Law as it stands now. The public
has access to information about registered sex offenders, but those
seeking information must now go to a law enforcement agency and
view a specially set up computer or pay to call a "900" telephone
number. The information available now does not include the
offender's home address.

"Having that information more easily available to the public is
good public policy," Riverside County District Attorney Grover
Trask said. "Whatever we can do to get this information out to
people is a good thing."

However, a state association of criminal defense attorneys
disagrees.

"We don't think it makes anyone any more safe to know where (a
registered sex offender) lives," said Paul Gerowitz, executive
director of the Sacramento-based California Attorneys for Criminal
Justice.

"Law enforcement knows where these people are if they need to
solve a crime," Gerowitz added. "The harm from this is that it
gives people a false sense of security and the potential that they
will take the law into their own hands by harassing someone or
worse."

Assembly Bill 488 was approved Jan. 26 by a 73-2 vote and has
been forwarded to the Senate rules committee for further
assessment. If the Senate approves the bill, it would become law if
signed by the governor.

If it becomes law, the special trip to a police or sheriff's
station to view the computer and the 900 telephone line would be
eliminated.

That's good news to people like Deborah McDermott of
Murrieta.

While at the Rancho California Sports Park in Temecula last week
with her sister and her sister's children, McDermott said she would
use the Internet to make sure she and her family were safe from
possible predators.

"You need to make sure you know who is talking to your kids,"
McDermott said.

The 36-year-old McDermott said she doesn't buy into the argument
that sex offenders have done their time and should not be subjected
to further scrutiny -- like having their personal information made
available on the Internet.

"There are certain things you do where you should lose your
rights for good," she said, adding that sex offenders don't deserve
a second chance. "Things like this are outside the reality of
getting a second chance.

"These people have gone so over the line that you have to keep
tabs on them," McDermott continued. "I find it offensive that they
would demand that kind of respect."

However, Gerowitz said it is wrong to single out a group of
individuals such as sex offenders.

"People have a lot of fear about this stuff," he said. "It's
politically useful to pass legislation saying you are tough on sex
offenders."

Gerowitz says he finds it "intrusive" and an "infringement of
civil liberties" to make so much information about sex offenders
available to anyone who connects to the Internet.

He said that most child molest cases involve offenders who the
victims knows and has a trust relationship with, such as a
relative, a teacher, or a sports coach -- not just some stranger in
their neighborhood.

Gerowitz agrees that it is important for law enforcement,
schools, and parks and recreation agencies to have access to
information about registered sex offenders, but not the general
public.

Riverside County Sheriff Bob Doyle counters that whether an
offender is a coach, a relative, or a random predator, "I feel we
should do everything we can to protect our children."

Doyle added that the more information a person has, the more
ability he believes they will have to do keep their kids as safe as
possible.

"If you have kids, you're going to take even more measures to
keep them safe if you know a sex offender is right next door," the
sheriff said.

Trask, the district attorney, says it is very common for
pedophiles -- many of whom would be included in the online database
-- to commit crimes again after serving their time.

"There's no cure, no rehabilitation and they have a continuing
proclivity for deviant sexual behavior," Trask said.

Gerowitz agrees that most pedophiles do re-offend, adding that
anyone who commits any type of crime could re-offend. He again
stressed that public access to a sex offender's home address is
going too far.

He fears that people having such home addresses may resort to
vigilantism.

"They may think they are acting on the side of the angels and
protecting children from evil-doers," Gerowitz said.

Both Doyle and Trask believe people will do the right thing and
won't take the law into their own hands.

"If people start being vigilantes, they are crossing the line.
They are breaking the law themselves and will be dealt with," Doyle
said.

The county's two top cops both say they have never heard of
anyone doing that in Riverside County. There have been legal
protests, but nothing where that legal line was crossed, both
officials said.

Trask said there is a measure built into the Assembly bill as
now written that would allow prosecutors to file felony charges
against anyone who misuses the information about the offender to
commit a felony against that person. There is also one involving
misdemeanors.

As well as that being a deterrent to the public that might
misuse the online information, Trask said he sees having such
personal information online as also a deterrent for the
offender.

Convicted sex offenders already must register with law
enforcement in the county where they live and now they'll know
their personal information will be there for anyone to see. "That
should have a significant deterrent impact on them because they'll
know people will have information about exactly where they live,"
he said.

The bill also has a provision prohibiting the use of the online
information relating to an offender's insurance, loans, credit,
employment, educational scholarships, housing, or any benefits or
services provided by any business.

It is solely for informational purposes and intended for the
knowledge of those who feel they may be at risk from a high-risk or
serious registered sex offender.

There is one high-risk offender in Temecula -- a man who is just
moving to the area -- and Murrieta police say no high-risk
offenders live in that city.

The state Department of Justice defines a serious sex offender
as someone who has been convicted of crimes including assault to
commit sex offenses, rape, sodomy with a minor or done by force,
lewd conduct with a minor, continuous sexual abuse of a child,
child molestation, and felony sexual battery.

A high-risk offender is someone who is a serious sex offender
who has been convicted of at least one violent sex offense and a
combination of other offenses, the agency states.

As of Feb. 2, the agency reports there are 81,226 serious
offenders and 1,825 high-risk offenders in California.